Clinical guide

Dosage & titration

You don't start at the full dose. Every GLP-1 medicine is titrated — increased slowly over weeks or months — to limit side effects. Here's why, and the typical schedules for each.

Medically reviewed by an HPCSA-registered doctor Last updated 4 sources

Important

These are typical schedules for orientation only. Your actual doses, timing and maximum are decided by your prescriber based on your response and tolerance. Always follow your own prescription and the patient information leaflet.

Why you start low and go slow

Titration means starting at a low dose and stepping up gradually. It's done to give your gut time to adjust, which dramatically reduces nausea and other side effects. Going too fast is the most common reason people feel awful — slowing down usually fixes it.

Ozempic (semaglutide) — weekly

Typically starts at 0.25 mg once weekly for 4 weeks (a “run-in” dose, not yet therapeutic), then 0.5 mg, with further steps to 1 mg and up to 2 mg as needed and tolerated, usually a month apart.

Wegovy (semaglutide) — weekly

A 16-week escalation: 0.25 → 0.5 → 1.0 → 1.7 → 2.4 mg, increasing roughly every 4 weeks to the 2.4 mg maintenance dose, if tolerated.

Mounjaro (tirzepatide) — weekly

Starts at 2.5 mg for 4 weeks, then 5 mg, with further 2.5 mg steps every 4 weeks as needed, up to a maximum of 15 mg.

Saxenda (liraglutide) — daily

A daily injection titrated weekly: 0.6 → 1.2 → 1.8 → 2.4 → 3.0 mg, increasing each week to the 3.0 mg dose, if tolerated.

If side effects bite during a step-up

It's common to feel rougher for a few days after each increase. If it's more than that, options your provider may use include holding the current dose longer before the next step, or temporarily stepping back down. Don't increase faster than prescribed to “catch up”, and don't double a missed dose — check the leaflet or ask your provider. See managing side effects.

A registered provider sets and adjusts your titration safely

Frequently asked questions

The 0.25 mg dose is a run-in to help your body adjust and limit nausea — it's not the therapeutic weight-loss dose. You step up from there.

Typically 2 mg for Ozempic, 2.4 mg for Wegovy, 15 mg for Mounjaro and 3 mg daily for Saxenda — but your prescriber sets your maximum.

Guidance differs by medicine and how late you are — follow your patient information leaflet or ask your provider. Don't double up.

Sources & references

We cite primary sources and paraphrase them. Last reviewed June 2026. See our editorial policy and full sources hub.

  1. 1Manufacturer Patient Information Leaflets (Novo Nordisk / Eli Lilly)Novo Nordisk; Eli Lilly. Approved dosing, administration and side-effect information.
  2. 2SAHPRA — registered health products & safety alertsSouth African Health Products Regulatory Authority. SA registration status of medicines and counterfeit / falsified-product warnings.
  3. 3STEP programme — semaglutide for weight managementNew England Journal of Medicine (Wilding et al., STEP 1, 2021). Average weight loss with semaglutide 2.4 mg (~15% at 68 weeks).
  4. 4SURMOUNT-1 — tirzepatide for weight managementNew England Journal of Medicine (Jastreboff et al., 2022). Average weight loss with tirzepatide (up to ~21–22.5% at highest dose).
Next step

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